William chase knight



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WILLIAM CHASE KNIGHT, or YANKEE JIMS, CALIFORNIA.

u Letters Patent No. 72,205, dated .December 17, 1867.

IMPROVLD ArIALATUs ron sAvIIIe PRECIOUS METALS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: v ,n

Be it known,tliat I, W. C. KNKIGIITQO' Yankee Jirns, county of Placer, State of"California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saving Metals; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are suiiicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use mysaid invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

The nature of my invention-iste provide an apparatus for saving precious metals from the pulp of quartzmills and aurifeious cement, as well as the granulated quiclisilver which escapes from the sluice-box.

My invention consists in placing at the end of sluice-boxes an apparatus in the form of a letter V, having a movable vertical partition through it, and a crossLbar, placed upon one side of theapparatus, which prevents the escape of' the valuable portions of the ore and quicksilver, while the debris and other valueless matter arcy carried out, by the currentof water, into the tail-race. i

In order to more fully illustrate and describe my invention, reference is'had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a plan,

Figure 2 is an end sectionalelevation. l

A is a box or trunk, in the form of a letter V, having end pieces a and a. Avertical movable centre piece or partition, B,`divides the box A, forming apartments C C. Near the bottom of the apartment C is a crossbar, D,which`may serve to retard the progress of the current over the sidefof 'the box C, yet this bar I do `not l deem essentiahand it may be used or not, as desired.

The manner in which my invention is desired to work or operate is as follows, to wit: Quicksilver having been placed in the bottom of the vessel, the movable partition is let down as near the surface of the qui'cksilver as possible, and leave room enough for the gravel or pulp and waterA to pass through. AAt first, the action of the current against Ithe cross-bar (in the direction of the arrows) will carry it back again into the quicksilver, and

prevent the too rapid discharge of the water and debris out of the machine, thereby returning the heavier particles of metal, until 'they are taken up by the mercury, and should any particles of theamalgam escape or become dislodged, they will also be returned to the body in the bath, while the water carries over the worthless forcibly in contact with the quicksilver and saved. y

Hdving thus describedmy invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y The V-shapod apparatus, with an adjustable partition, B, substantially as and for the purpose described. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

portions, such as the sand and debris, into the tail-race below. 'By this means the valuable'particles are brought WILLIAM G. KNIGHT. [me] Witnesses:

W. C. SMITH,

AUGUSTUS MILLER. 

